whack
whack — noun
- whacksingular
- whacksplural
1. a sharp, noisy hit against someone or something, or the loud sound that such a h
a sharp, noisy hit against someone or something, or the loud sound that such a hit makes
Samira gave the rusty pipe a hard whack to shake the dirt loose.
give + something + a whack — collocation for hitting
A sudden whack echoed through the hallway as the door slammed shut.
whack as a sound echoing through a space
Kwesi felt the whack of the cricket bat against his shoulder.
The whack of the judge's gavel silenced the crowd.
Gabriela heard a loud whack coming from the kitchen.
常見錯誤
2. a fair or expected portion of something, especially money or work that is being
a fair or expected portion of something, especially money or work that is being divided up
Mabel asked for a bigger whack of the tips after working the late shift.
Each team member took an equal whack of the leftover pizza.
take + a whack + of — for sharing portions
Ezra complained that the landlord always wants too large a whack of the rent.
The marketing department got the smallest whack of the annual budget.
After staying late every night, Meera felt she'd earned a fair whack of the bonus pool.
用法筆記
Informal; common in British English for talking about money or work distribution.
3. an attempt at doing something, especially when you are not certain that you will
an attempt at doing something, especially when you are not certain that you will succeed
Dewi decided to have a whack at fixing the broken sink herself.
have a whack at + -ing verb
Amina took a whack at the difficult crossword puzzle during her lunch break.
Nala had never baked bread before, but she gave it a whack anyway.
The kids each had a whack at knocking down the coconut with a stick.
Mariana's first whack at learning Portuguese turned out better than she expected.
用法筆記
Always used in the pattern 'have, take, or give + a whack at something.'
4. the highest price or amount of money that someone can charge or pay for somethin
the highest price or amount of money that someone can charge or pay for something
The family paid top whack for their beach house rental in August.
pay top whack — collocation for highest price
The hotel charges top whack during the summer holiday season.
The mechanic charged top whack for the repair, but at least the car runs now.
You will pay top whack if you book the flight only a week before departure.
The restaurant is good, but the prices are top whack for what you actually get.
用法筆記
Informal British expression; appears almost exclusively in the phrases 'pay top whack' and 'charge top whack.'
5. a state of not working properly or not looking as it should
a state of not working properly or not looking as it should
The office printer has been out of whack since Monday morning.
out of whack — for things not working
After the long-haul flight, the pilot's sleep rhythm was completely out of whack.
The cash register numbers looked out of whack, so the manager closed the till early.
The old piano sounds out of whack — three of the keys are completely dead.
The gardener noticed the sprinkler timing was out of whack after the power cut.
- out of order
more formal, standard English
- broken
more direct; implies physical damage
- in order
working correctly; the opposite state
用法筆記
Almost always used in the phrase 'out of whack.' Rarely appears on its own outside this fixed expression.
常見錯誤
whack — verb
- whackpresent simple I / you / we / they
- whackshe / she / it
- whackedpast simple
- whacking-ing form
1. to strike someone or something with a hard, noisy blow
to strike someone or something with a hard, noisy blow
The carpenter whacked the loose nail until it was flush with the board.
whack + something + until + result
The toddler whacked the toy drum with both hands, laughing at the noise.
A branch whacked the window during the storm and left a long scratch.
The tennis coach whacked the ball over the net to start the drill.
The farmer whacked the donkey's flank with a stick to get it moving.
文法句型
whack + someone/something
2. to place or throw something onto a surface quickly and without much thought or c
to place or throw something onto a surface quickly and without much thought or care
The courier whacked the parcel onto the counter and left without a word.
whack + something + onto + surface
Just whack your coat on the back of the chair — we are in a hurry.
imperative: whack + something + on + place
The chef whacked a slab of butter into the hot pan and it sizzled loudly.
The movers whacked the last box onto the truck and slammed the door shut.
The student whacked her homework onto the teacher's desk at the last second.
- place carefully
the opposite action — putting something down with attention
文法句型
whack + something + on/onto/into + place
用法筆記
Typically followed by a preposition of place such as on, onto, or into. The object is the thing being placed, not the destination.
3. to kill or murder someone deliberately, typically used in criminal slang
to kill or murder someone deliberately, typically used in criminal slang
The gang leader threatened to whack anyone who talked to the press.
threaten to whack + someone
In the film, the hitman whacked the wrong target by mistake.
The witness was terrified of being whacked before her day in court.
The old gangster claimed he had whacked more than a dozen men.
The reporter wrote that the union boss had been whacked in a back alley.
文法句型
whack + someone
用法筆記
Criminal slang; almost always refers to deliberate murder, never to accidental death. Rare in everyday conversation.